Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Know all about counsel Harish Jadhav and fees he charged India

India presented its arguments in the Kulbhushan Jadhav death sentence case against Pakistan in the International Court of Justice on Monday and leading the charge for the Indian front was India’s most expensive lawyer – Harish Salve. 

Salve is most expensive because he is also considered best by the richest and most powerful Indians across the board. But you will not believe the amount fees he charged the Republic of India to fight the case of an Indian trapped in Pakistan!

India’s most expensive lawyer Harish Salve charged only Re 1 to fight the case in the highest judicial body on earth. 

Salve’s powerful arguments and presentation not only made an international buzz but also won the Twitter over. Throughout the proceedings, Indian Twiterrati couldn’t help but be impressed by his skills. But all are not same, one of the social media users questioned India’s choice of using such an expensive lawyer for the case and argued that any Indian lawyer could have done the same job. 

To this, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj responded, “Not fair. #HarishSalve has charged us Rs.1/- as his fee for this case.”

Not fair. #HarishSalve has charged us Rs.1/- as his fee for this case. https://t.co/Eyl3vQScrs

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 15, 2017

Salve won Indian hearts by representing the whole country at ICJ, but the fact that he did so entirely out of his love for the nation will definitely win him millions of additional fans. 

Read | Full arguments presented by Harish Salve in Kulbhushan Jadhav case against Pakistan in ICJ

Who is Harish Salve?

54-year-old Harish Salve is a Supreme Court advocate with specialisation in constitutional, commercial and taxation laws. Started off as a Charted Accountant, Salve has held the post of Solicitor General of India between 1999 and 2002. 

Salve is, arguably, today's most expensive lawyer in India. India Today magazine ranked him 43th in India's 50 most powerful people of 2017 list, which reflects on his powerful client list. 

He has represented high-profile cases like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Prakash Singh Badal and Lalit Modi but his reputation and legal fees started sky-rocketing after he won Mukesh Ambani's gas dispute against brother Anil who was represented by Ram Jethmalani. 

Hiring Harish Salve as a lawyer does not come cheap. He charges a massive fee of Rs 30 lakhs per day. His fees alone is supposed to have cost Mukesh Ambani a whopping Rs 15 crore. Even this pales into insignificance when you compare it with the Rs 60 crore which he is supposed to have collected in the Forest Case of TN Godavarman Thirumulpad. 

In addition, he has to be provided overnight five-star suites and first class air tickets. A dinner for him and his team at a five-star hotel can cost over Rs 2 lakh. 

There are times to make money and there are times to serve the country, India is glad that Salve chose wisely.

Read | Kulbhushan Jadhav hearing at ICJ: India’s charges and Pakistan’s defence in 10 points